Sliding bias and peak limiting for optical hearing devices

ABSTRACT

A processor comprises instructions to adjust a bias of an input signal in order to decrease a duty cycle of a pulse modulated optical signal. The bias can be increased, decreased, or maintained in response to one or more measured values of the signal. In many embodiments, a gain of the signal is adjusted with the bias in order to inhibit distortion. The bias can be adjusted slowly in order to inhibit audible noise, and the gain can be adjusted faster than the bias in order to inhibit clipping of the signal. In many embodiments, one or more of the bias or the gain is adjusted in response to a value of the signal traversing a threshold amount. The value may comprise a trough of the signal traversing the threshold.

CROSS-REFERENCE

The present patent application is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/688,774, filed Nov. 19, 2019, now U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. ______; which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/890,185, filed Feb. 6, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,531,206; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.14/813,301, filed Jul. 30, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,930,458; which is acontinuation of PCT Application No. PCT/US15/40397, filed Jul. 14, 2015;which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/024,275, filed Jul. 14, 2014; the entire disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The field of the present invention is related to optical hearingdevices.

The prior methods and apparatus for providing sound to users can be lessthan ideal in at least some respects. People like to communicate, andhearing is an important aspect of communication for both communicationdevices and prosthetic devices such as hearing aids.

Contact hearing devices that contact tissue or bone have the advantageof providing sound with decreased feedback along the ear canal to theinput microphone. However, the ear is composed of several small anddelicate structures such as the tympanic membrane, ossicles and cochlea.Providing compact hearing devices that fit comfortably within the earand contact moveable structures of the ear to provide high quality soundcan be challenging. Transmitting power and signals to such small deviceshas also proven challenging.

Recently, it has been proposed to use light based hearing devices. Lightbased hearing devices have the advantage of potentially being small andproviding high fidelity sound. However, realization of these potentialadvantages has proven challenging for several reasons. Sound istransmitted with positive and negative changes in air pressure. However,the light energy transmitted from a light source only results in thegeneration of positive light energy, with no corresponding negativelight energy being available. Although light does oscillate withelectrical and magnetic fields in the Terahertz frequency range, suchfrequencies are too fast for most detectors to capture the oscillatingpositive and negative field components of light. Consequently priormethods and apparatus used to drive electrical signals associated withpositive and negative sound pressure may not be well suited for use withlight based systems. Also, optical components can introduce distortionsto optical signals, such as non-linear behavior of the light source anddetector, which can present additional challenges.

At least some of the prior electronic circuitry solutions are less thanideally suited for the transmission of light based optical signals. Forexample, the use of prior delta-sigma modulation with optical signalscan result in more power consumption than would be ideal. Similarly,prior analog approaches to transmitting electrical signals can result inincreased power consumption when used with optical systems. As hearingdevices can be worn for extended amounts of time, excessive powerconsumption may result in less than ideal performance of the hearingdevice in at least some instances.

In light of the above, it would be helpful to provide improved methodsand apparatus for optical hearing. Ideally such optical devices wouldprovide decreased power consumption, low amounts of distortion, becompact, and transmit the optical signal and energy to power thetransducer with decreased amounts of distortion.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention provide improved transmission ofoptical signals with decreased amounts of light energy and distortion.In many embodiments, circuitry is configured to bias an input signal inorder to generate an optical signal with decreased power consumption anddistortion. The biased input signal reduces the amount of light energytransmitted for low energy input sound, and increases the amount oflight energy transmitted for higher amounts of input sound energy. Thebias can be adjusted slowly in order to inhibit audible sounds frombeing perceived by the user when the bias is adjusted. The slowlychanging bias can be combined with rapidly decreased gain in response topeaks of the signal in order to inhibit peak clipping, and the gain canbe rapidly increased to restore the gain. In many embodiments, the gainboth decreases and increases quickly while the bias remainssubstantially fixed to inhibit clipping. In many embodiments, the biasshifts the input signal in a direction corresponding to negative soundpressure in response to low amounts of negative sound pressure. Aprocessor can be configured with a look ahead delay in order to adjustthe gain in response to the signal traversing a threshold detected withthe look ahead delay, such that the gain can be dynamically increasedand decreased in real time in response to the detected peak in order todecrease distortion.

The biased input signal can be used with many types of circuitry, andthe circuitry configured to generate the optical signal in response tothe biased input signal may comprise delta sigma modulation circuitry oranalog amplifier circuitry, and combinations thereof. In manyembodiments, a processor is configured with instructions to adjust thebias of the input sound signal in order to decrease a duty cycle of theoutput optical signal.

The bias can be increased, decreased, or maintained in response to oneor more measured values of the signal. In many embodiments, a gain ofthe signal is adjusted with the bias in order to inhibit distortion. Thebias can be adjusted slowly in order to inhibit audible noise such asthumping, and the gain can be adjusted faster than the bias in order toinhibit clipping of the signal and distortion. Thumping is a userperceivable sound like a “thump” that may occur if the bias were to beadjusted too quickly. In many embodiments, one or more of the bias orthe gain is adjusted in response to a value of the signal below athreshold.

In many embodiments, peak limiting with a variable change in gain isused to inhibit clipping of the biased audio signal. The processor canbe configured with a look ahead delay to detect an incident peak and toadjust the gain in response to the peak detected with the look aheaddelay to inhibit clipping.

In a first aspect, embodiments provide a hearing apparatus to transmitan audio signal to an ear of a user with light. The apparatus comprisesan input to receive the audio signal, a light source to generate anoptical signal, and an output transducer to receive the optical signalfrom the light source. A processor is coupled to the input andconfigured with instructions to receive the audio signal, determine abias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal in response to theaudio signal, and output the biased audio signal to circuitry to drivethe light source with the biased signal in order to decrease lightenergy of the optical signal transmitted from the light source.

In many embodiments, the processor comprises instructions to adjust thebias to decrease light energy in response to decreased energy of theaudio signal and to adjust the bias to increase light energy in responseto increased energy of the audio signal in order to inhibit distortion.The processor may comprise instructions to adjust the bias in adirection corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal. Theprocessor may comprise instructions to adjust the bias to decreaseamounts of light energy at a first rate and to increase amounts of lightenergy at a second rate to inhibit distortion. The first rate may beslower than the second rate. The processor may comprise instructions toadjust the bias over a time duration of more than about 50 ms or morethan about 20 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.

In many embodiments, the processor comprises instructions for a lookahead delay to decrease the gain to inhibit clipping in response to anegative signal below a threshold amount detected with the look aheaddelay. The processor may comprise instructions to adjust the biasedsignal to more positive values in response to the negative signal belowthe threshold amount and to increase the gain when the biased signal isadjusted to the more positive values. The negative signal may correspondto negative sound pressure. The threshold amount may comprise a lowerend of the input range. The processor may comprise instructions todecrease the gain faster than a change in bias. The bias may remainsubstantially fixed when the gain is decreased in response to the signalbelow the threshold. The processor may comprise instructions to decreasethe gain over a duration of no more than a length of the look aheaddelay. The bias may remain substantially fixed to within about fivepercent (5%) over the length of the look ahead delay.

The processor may comprise instructions to limit the bias in response toa noise floor associated with one or more of delta sigma modulationcircuitry, the circuitry to drive the light source, the light source, orthe output transducer to receive the output signal.

The audio signal may comprise a fixed bias. The processor may compriseinstructions to determine the biased audio signal in response to thefixed bias of the audio signal.

The circuitry to drive the light source may comprise delta sigmamodulation circuitry. The delta modulation circuitry may comprise one ormore of pulse width modulation circuitry, pulse density modulationcircuitry, or a digital to analog converter of the processor comprisingthe pulse density modulation circuitry. Alternatively or in combination,the circuitry to drive the light source may comprise an analogamplifier.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a method of transmitting an audiosignal to an ear of a user with light. The audio signal may be receivedfrom an input. A bias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal maybe determined with a processor in response to the audio signal. Thebiased audio signal may be output to circuitry to drive a light sourcewith the biased signal in order to generate an optical signal withdecreased light energy transmitted from the light source. The opticalsignal may be received with an output transducer to vibrate the ear inresponse to the output optical signal.

In many embodiments, the processor comprises instructions to adjust thebias to decrease light energy in response to decreased energy of theaudio signal and to adjust the bias to increase light energy in responseto increased energy of the audio signal in order to inhibit distortion.The processor may comprise instructions to adjust the bias in adirection corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal. Theprocessor may comprise instructions to adjust the bias to decreaseamounts of light energy at a first rate and to increase amounts of lightenergy at a second rate to inhibit distortion. The first rate may beslower than the second rate. The processor may comprise instructions toadjust the bias over a time duration of more than about 50 ms or morethan about 20 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.

In many embodiments, the processor comprises instructions for a lookahead delay to decrease the gain to inhibit clipping in response to anegative signal below a threshold amount detected with the look aheaddelay. The processor may comprise instructions to adjust the biasedsignal to more positive values in response to the negative signal belowthe threshold amount and to increase the gain when the biased signal isadjusted to the more positive values. The negative signal may correspondto negative sound pressure. The threshold amount may comprise a lowerend of the input range. The processor may comprise instructions todecrease the gain faster than a change in bias. The bias may remainsubstantially fixed when the gain is decreased in response to the signalbelow the threshold. The processor may comprise instructions to decreasethe gain over a duration of no more than a length of the look aheaddelay. The bias may remain substantially fixed to within about fivepercent (5%) over the length of the look ahead delay.

The processor may comprise instructions to limit the bias in response toa noise floor associated with one or more of delta sigma modulationcircuitry, the circuitry to drive the light source, the light source orthe output transducer to receive the output signal.

The input audio signal may comprise a fixed bias. The processor maycomprise instructions to determine the biased audio signal in responseto the fixed bias of the audio signal.

The circuitry to drive the light source may comprise delta sigmamodulation circuitry. The delta modulation circuitry may comprise one ormore of pulse width modulation circuitry, pulse density modulationcircuitry, or a digital to analog converter of the processor comprisingthe pulse density modulation circuitry. Alternatively or in combination,the circuitry to drive the light source may comprise an analogamplifier.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a method of transmitting an audiosignal with light. The audio signal may be received from an input. Abias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal may be determinedwith a processor in response to the audio signal. The biased audiosignal may be output to circuitry to drive a light source with thebiased signal in order to generate an optical signal with decreasedlight energy transmitted from the light source.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a hearing apparatus to transmitan audio signal to an ear of a user with light. The hearing apparatusmay comprise a processor coupled to an input to receive the audiosignal. The processor may be configured with instructions to receive theaudio signal from the input, determine a bias of the audio signal and abiased audio signal in response to the audio signal, and output thebiased audio signal to circuitry to drive a light source with the biasedsignal in order to decrease light energy transmitted from the lightsource.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a hearing apparatus. Theapparatus may comprise an input to receive an audio signal, a lightsource, an output transducer to receive an optical signal from the lightsource, and a processor coupled to the input. The processor may compriseinstructions configured to receive the audio signal, determine a bias ofthe audio signal to in response to the audio signal in order to decreasepower consumption of the light source, decrease a gain in response to anegative peak of the audio signal below a threshold amount, and outputan optical signal to the light source in response to the determined biasand the decreased gain in response to the negative peak of the audiosignal below the threshold amount.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a hearing apparatus. The hearingapparatus may comprise an input to receive an audio signal, an outputtransducer to receive an optical signal, and a processor coupled to theinput. The processor may comprise instructions to receive the audiosignal and determine a bias of the audio signal in response to the audiosignal and output an optical signal in response to the bias.

The optical signal may comprise a pulse modulated optical signal. Theprocessor may comprise instructions to output the pulse modulatedoptical signal. Alternatively, the optical signal may comprise an analogoptical signal, and the processor may comprise instructions to outputthe analog optical signal.

The apparatus may further comprise a light source. The light source maycomprise a laser diode. The laser diode may comprise a linear lightoutput in response to a biased audio signal input to the laser diode.

The instructions of the processor may comprise instruction to adjust thebias in response to a value of the signal, to adjust the bias inresponse to a value of the signal traversing a threshold amount, or toadjust the bias and a gain of the signal in response to a value of thesignal traversing a threshold amount, and combinations thereof.

The bias may be combined with the input audio signal to provide a biasedaudio signal. The pulse modulated signal may be determined in responseto the biased audio signal. The bias may comprise a negative bias addedto the input audio signal to decrease amounts of light transmitted withthe pulse modulated signal. The bias may comprise a sliding bias tooffset the input audio signal by a variable amount and to provide thebiased audio signal with a variable bias. The bias may comprise anadjustable bias, and the instructions of the processor may be configuredto adjust the bias with substantially inaudible frequencies.

The audio signal may comprise a peak. The bias may be adjusted inresponse to the peak of the signal. The peak may comprise a negativepeak. The bias may be determined in response to the negative peak of thesignal.

The audio signal may comprise a positive peak and a negative peak. Thebias may be adjusted in response to the negative peak of the signal.Alternatively or in combination, the bias may be adjusted in response tothe positive peak of the signal.

The processor may comprise instructions to adjust or decrease a gain ofthe signal in response to the value of the audio signal.

The apparatus may further comprise one or more light sources to coupleto the output transducer, and drive circuitry coupled to the processorand the one or more light sources. The processor may compriseinstructions to drive the one or more light sources with drive circuitryand the pulse modulated signal. The one or more light sources and thedrive circuitry may be arranged to transmit power and signal to theoutput transducer with the pulse modulated optical signal in order todrive the output transducer assembly in response to the power and signaltransmitted with the pulse modulated optical signal.

The output transducer may comprise one or more of a support, aphotodiode, an electromechanical transducer, or a photostrictivematerial. The support may comprise one or more of a support shaped toengage a tympanic membrane of the user, a support shaped to engage anossicle of the user, a support shaped to engage a round window of theuser, a support shaped to engage an oval window of the user, or asupport shaped to engage bone of the user.

The electromechanical transducer may comprise one or more of a balancedarmature transducer, a coil and magnetic material, or a piezoelectricmaterial.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a method comprising providing theapparatus as in any one of embodiments described above and herein.

In another aspect, embodiments provide a method of transmitting sound toa user. The method comprising receiving an audio signal, determining abias of the signal in response to the signal, and providing a pulsemodulated optical signal in response to the bias and the signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be obtained by reference to the following detaileddescription that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which theprinciples of the disclosure are utilized, and the accompanying drawingsof which:

FIG. 1 shows a hearing aid system configured to transmit electromagneticenergy to an output transducer assembly, in accordance with embodiments;

FIGS. 2A and 2B show isometric and top views, respectively, of theoutput transducer assembly in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 3 shows circuitry of the hearing aid system 10, in accordance withembodiments;

FIG. 4A shows an input signal and the input signal with bias, inaccordance with embodiments;

FIG. 4B shows modulated light pulses in accordance with the adjustablebias as described herein;

FIG. 4C shows an increased amplitude input signal with the bias of FIG.4A and peak limiting, in accordance with embodiments;

FIGS. 5A and 5B show light power curves with a fixed bias, and a slidingbias to improve sound quality and substantially decrease powerconsumption, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 5C shows an encoding of the fixed bias curve of FIG. 5A, usingpulse width modulation, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 5D shows an encoding of the fixed bias curve of FIG. 5A, usingpulse density modulation, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 5E shows an encoding of the sliding bias curve of FIG. 5A, usingpulse width modulation, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 5F shows an encoding of the sliding bias curve of FIG. 5A, usingpulse density modulation, in accordance with embodiments;

FIG. 6A shows amplitude of a digital input signal, adjusted with slidingbias and peak limiting to inhibit clipping, in accordance withembodiments;

FIG. 6B shows a look-ahead delay used to determine a change in gain, inaccordance with embodiments;

FIG. 6C shows the adjustment of a sliding bias and gain over time, inaccordance with embodiments; and

FIG. 7 shows a method of adjusting a bias and peak limiting, inaccordance with embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A better understanding of the features and advantages of the presentdisclosure will be obtained by reference to the following detaileddescription that sets forth illustrative embodiments, in which theprinciples of embodiments of the present disclosure are utilized, andthe accompanying drawings.

Although the detailed description contains many specifics, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the disclosure but merely asillustrating different examples and aspects of the present disclosure.It should be appreciated that the scope of the disclosure includes otherembodiments not discussed in detail above. Various other modifications,changes and variations which will be apparent to those skilled in theart may be made in the arrangement, operation and details of the methodand apparatus of the present disclosure provided herein withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention as describedherein.

Although specific reference is made to a hearing aid, the embodimentsdisclosed herein will have application with many fields, such asacoustics and listening devices, for example electronic communicationdevices such as cell phones.

The optical methods and apparatus disclosed herein that provide lowdistortion optical signals with decreased power consumption are wellsuited for combination with many types of commercially availableelectrical circuits and sound processors used to transmit electricalsignals such as delta sigma modulation circuitry and class-A amplifiersfor example.

The embodiments disclosed herein can be combined with implantable andnon-implantable hearing devices.

The embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in one or more of manyways to provide improved sound quality with optically driventransducers.

As used herein like characters identify like elements.

As used herein light encompasses one or more of visible light,ultraviolet light, or infrared light, and combinations thereof.

As used herein electromagnetic energy encompasses light energy.

As used herein a trough encompasses a negative peak.

Examples of optical transducers that couple the transducer to structureof the ear so as to decrease occlusion are described in U.S. Pat. Nos.7,668,325; 7,867,160; 8,396,239; 8,401,212; 8,715,153; 8,715,154; andU.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/820,776; 13/069,282; 61/217,801,filed Jun. 3, 2009, entitled “Balanced Armature Device and Methods forHearing”; and PCT/US2009/057719, filed 21 Sep. 2009, entitled “BalancedArmature Device and Methods for Hearing”, published as WO 2010/033933;the full disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference andsuitable for combination in accordance with embodiments as describedherein.

In many embodiments, an audio signal is transmitted using light toprovide both power and signal to a transducer. Although light compriseselectrical fields oscillating at terahertz frequencies, commerciallyavailable detectors do not capture the negative component of theelectric field oscillation. Because the light energy applied to atransducer results in a unidirectional signal, no opposing signal isavailable. Therefore, a light-encoded signal can be biased in order todecrease power consumption. Power consumption increases with increasingbias, and reducing bias can extend battery life substantially. However,the bias also determines the maximum signal amplitude that can beencoded, so reducing bias constrains signal level. The embodimentsdisclosed herein are particularly well suited for providing a decreasedbias in combination with inhibited clipping in order to provide improvedsound to the user.

In many embodiments, the adjustable bias comprises a sliding bias(hereinafter “SB”). The SB algorithm monitors the signal level and maycontinually adjust the bias. In many embodiments, the bias is set to theminimum value that can accommodate the signal level. Power consumptioncan be reduced when the signal level is low, such that the tradeoffbetween battery life and signal range can be balanced, for exampleoptimized.

In many embodiments, the SB algorithm sets the bias level in response tothe peak levels of the signal, such as negative peaks of the signal. Thepeak level can be proportional to the root mean square (rms) level ofsignal. A factor comprising the ratio of the peak value to rms value isknown as the crest factor. However, the crest factor can vary with thetype of input signal and may not be well suited for use with at leastsome input audio signals. High crest factor signals may require highbias levels and thus increase power consumption. Therefore it may bedesirable to reduce the crest factor in conjunction with applyingsliding bias. There are several methods that can be used to reduce thecrest factor of a signal. One method is to use a variable level peaklimiting strategy, for example. Another method is to use a peakcancellation strategy. Yet another method provides a soft limitingstrategy. These methods are suitable for combination in accordance withembodiments disclosed herein. In many embodiments, the peak limiting isadjustable and is not fixed, and the crest-factor limiting is dependenton the bias level.

The sliding-bias algorithm and the combined peak limiting andsliding-bias algorithms as described herein can be used alternatively orin combination as the front end to pulse-width or pulse densitymodulation circuitry. Alternatively, they can be used as the front endof a class-A analog system. In these embodiments, a significant savingsin output power can be realized, particularly when the signal is lowlevel.

FIG. 1 shows a hearing aid system 10 configured to transmitelectromagnetic energy comprising light energy EM to an outputtransducer assembly 100 positioned in the ear canal EC of the user. Theear comprises an external ear, a middle ear ME and an inner ear. Theexternal ear comprises a Pinna P and an ear canal EC and is boundedmedially by an eardrum TM. Ear canal EC extends medially from pinna P toeardrum TM. Ear canal EC is at least partially defined by a skin SKdisposed along the surface of the ear canal. The eardrum TM comprises anannulus TMA that extends circumferentially around a majority of theeardrum to hold the eardrum in place. The middle ear ME is disposedbetween eardrum TM of the ear and a cochlea CO of the ear. The middleear ME comprises the ossicles OS to couple the eardrum TM to cochlea CO.The ossicles OS comprise an incus IN, a malleus ML and a stapes ST. Themalleus ML is connected to the eardrum TM and the stapes ST is connectedto an oval window OW, with the incus IN disposed between the malleus MLand stapes ST. Stapes ST is coupled to the oval window OW so as toconduct sound from the middle ear to the cochlea.

The hearing system 10 includes an input transducer assembly 20 and anoutput transducer assembly 100 to transmit sound to the user. Hearingsystem 10 may comprise a behind the ear unit BTE. Behind the ear unitBTE may comprise many components of system 10 such as a speechprocessor, battery, wireless transmission circuitry and input transducerassembly 10. Behind the ear unit BTE may comprise many component asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2007/0100197, entitled “Outputtransducers for hearing systems”; and 2006/0251278, entitled “Hearingsystem having improved high frequency response”, the full disclosures ofwhich are incorporated herein by reference and may be suitable forcombination in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention. The input transducer assembly 20 can be located at leastpartially behind the pinna P, although the input transducer assembly maybe located at many sites. For example, the input transducer assembly maybe located substantially within the ear canal, as described in U.S. Pub.No. 2006/0251278. The input transducer assembly may comprise aBluetooth® connection to couple to a cell phone and may comprise, forexample, components of the commercially available Sound ID 300,available from Sound ID of Palo Alto, Calif. The output transducerassembly 100 may comprise components to receive the light energy andvibrate the eardrum in response to light energy. An example of an outputtransducer assembly having components suitable for combination inaccordance with embodiments as described herein is described in U.S.Pat. App. Nos. 61,217,801, filed Jun. 3, 2009, entitled “BalancedArmature Device and Methods for Hearing” and PCT/US2009/057719, filed 21Sep. 2009, Balanced Armature Device and Methods for Hearing”, the fulldisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The input transducer assembly 20 can receive a sound input, for examplean audio sound. With hearing aids for hearing impaired individuals, theinput can be ambient sound. The input transducer assembly comprises atleast one input transducer, for example a microphone 22. Microphone 22can be positioned in many locations such as behind the ear, asappropriate. Microphone 22 is shown positioned to detect spatiallocalization cues from the ambient sound, such that the user candetermine where a speaker is located based on the transmitted sound. Thepinna P of the ear can diffract sound waves toward the ear canal openingsuch that sound localization cues can be detected with frequencies aboveat least about 4 kHz. The sound localization cues can be detected whenthe microphone is positioned within ear canal EC and also when themicrophone is positioned outside the ear canal EC and within about 5 mmof the ear canal opening. The at least one input transducer may comprisea second microphone located away from the ear canal and the ear canalopening, for example positioned on the behind the ear unit BTE. Theinput transducer assembly can include a suitable amplifier or otherelectronic interface. In some embodiments, the input may comprise anelectronic sound signal from a sound producing or receiving device, suchas a telephone, a cellular telephone, a Bluetooth connection, a radio, adigital audio unit, and the like.

In many embodiments, at least a first microphone can be positioned in anear canal or near an opening of the ear canal to measure high frequencysound above at least about one 4 kHz comprising spatial localizationcues. A second microphone can be positioned away from the ear canal andthe ear canal opening to measure at least low frequency sound belowabout 4 kHz. This configuration may decrease feedback to the user, asdescribed in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. US 2009/0097681, the full disclosure ofwhich is incorporated herein by reference and may be suitable forcombination in accordance with embodiments of the present invention.

Input transducer assembly 20 includes a signal output source 12 whichmay comprise a light source such as an LED or a laser diode, anelectromagnet, an RF source, or the like. The signal output source canproduce an output based on the sound input. Output transducer assembly100 can receive the output from input transducer assembly 20 and canproduce mechanical vibrations in response. Output transducer assembly100 comprises a sound transducer and may comprise at least one of acoil, a magnet, a magnetostrictive element, a photostrictive element, ora piezoelectric element, for example. For example, the output transducerassembly 100 can be coupled input transducer assembly 20 comprising anelongate flexible support having a coil supported thereon for insertioninto the ear canal as described in U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0092271,entitled “Energy Delivery and Microphone Placement Methods for ImprovedComfort in an Open Canal Hearing Aid”, the full disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference and may be suitable for combination inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention. Alternativelyor in combination, the input transducer assembly 20 may comprise a lightsource coupled to a fiber optic, for example as described in U.S. Pat.Pub. No. 2006/0189841 entitled, “Systems and Methods forPhoto-Mechanical Hearing Transduction”, the full disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference and may be suitable for combination inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The lightsource of the input transducer assembly 20 may also be positioned in theear canal, and the output transducer assembly and the BTE circuitrycomponents may be located within the ear canal so as to fit within theear canal. When properly coupled to the subject's hearing transductionpathway, the mechanical vibrations caused by output transducer assembly100 can induce neural impulses in the subject which can be interpretedby the subject as the original sound input.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show isometric and top views, respectively, of theoutput transducer assembly 100. Output transducer assembly 100 comprisesa retention structure 110, a support 120, a transducer 130, at least onespring 140 and a photodetector 150. Retention structure 110 is sized tocouple to the eardrum annulus TMA and at least a portion of the anteriorsulcus AS of the ear canal EC. Retention structure 110 comprises anaperture 110A. Aperture 110A is sized to receive transducer 130.

The retention structure 110 can be sized to the user and may compriseone or more of an o-ring, a c-ring, a molded structure, or a structurehaving a shape profile so as to correspond to a mold of the ear of theuser. For example retention structure 110 may comprise a polymer layer115 coated on a positive mold of a user, such as an elastomer or otherpolymer. Alternatively or in combination, retention structure 110 maycomprise a layer 115 of material formed with vapor deposition on apositive mold of the user, as described herein. Retention structure 110may comprise a resilient retention structure such that the retentionstructure can be compressed radially inward as indicated by arrows 102from an expanded wide profile configuration to a narrow profileconfiguration when passing through the ear canal and subsequently expandto the wide profile configuration when placed on one or more of theeardrum, the eardrum annulus, or the skin of the ear canal.

The retention structure 110 may comprise a shape profile correspondingto anatomical structures that define the ear canal. For example, theretention structure 110 may comprise a first end 112 corresponding to ashape profile of the anterior sulcus AS of the ear canal and theanterior portion of the eardrum annulus TMA. The first end 112 maycomprise an end portion having a convex shape profile, for example anose, so as to fit the anterior sulcus and so as to facilitateadvancement of the first end 112 into the anterior sulcus. The retentionstructure 110 may comprise a second end 114 having a shape profilecorresponding to the posterior portion of eardrum annulus TMA.

The support 120 may comprise a frame, or chassis, so as to support thecomponents connected to support 120. Support 120 may comprise a rigidmaterial and can be coupled to the retention structure 110, thetransducer 130, the at least one spring 140 and the photodetector 150.The support 120 may comprise a biocompatible metal such as stainlesssteel so as to support the retention structure 110, the transducer 130,the at least one spring 140 and the photodetector 150. For example,support 120 may comprise cut sheet metal material. Alternatively,support 120 may comprise injection molded biocompatible plastic. Thesupport 120 may comprise an elastomeric bumper structure 122 extendingbetween the support and the retention structure, so as to couple thesupport to the retention structure with the elastomeric bumper. Theelastomeric bumper structure 122 can also extend between the support 120and the eardrum, such that the elastomeric bumper structure 122 contactsthe eardrum TM and protects the eardrum TM from the rigid support 120.The support 120 may define an aperture 120A formed thereon. The aperture120A can be sized so as to receive the balanced armature transducer 130,for example such that the housing of the balanced armature transducer130 can extend at least partially through the aperture 120A when thebalanced armature transducer is coupled to the eardrum TM. The support120 may comprise an elongate dimension such that support 120 can bepassed through the ear canal EC without substantial deformation whenadvanced along an axis corresponding to the elongate dimension, suchthat support 120 may comprise a substantially rigid material andthickness.

The transducer 130 comprises structures to couple to the eardrum whenthe retention structure 120 contacts one or more of the eardrum, theeardrum annulus, or the skin of the ear canal. The transducer 130 maycomprise a balanced armature transducer having a housing and a vibratoryreed 132 extending through the housing of the transducer. The vibratoryreed 132 is affixed to an extension 134, for example a post, and aninner soft coupling structure 136. The soft coupling structure 136 has aconvex surface that contacts the eardrum TM and vibrates the eardrum TM.The soft coupling structure 136 may comprise an elastomer such assilicone elastomer. The soft coupling structure 136 can be anatomicallycustomized to the anatomy of the ear of the user. For example, the softcoupling structure 136 can be customized based a shape profile of theear of the user, such as from a mold of the ear of the user as describedherein.

At least one spring 140 can be connected to the support 120 and thetransducer 130, so as to support the transducer 130. The at least onespring 140 may comprise a first spring 122 and a second spring 124, inwhich each spring is connected to opposing sides of a first end oftransducer 130. The springs may comprise coil springs having a first endattached to support 120 and a second end attached to a housing oftransducer 130 or a mount affixed to the housing of the transducer 130,such that the coil springs pivot the transducer about axes 140A of thecoils of the coil springs and resiliently urge the transducer toward theeardrum when the retention structure contacts one or more of theeardrum, the eardrum annulus, or the skin of the ear canal. The support120 may comprise a tube sized to receiving an end of the at least onespring 140, so as to couple the at least one spring to support 120.

A photodetector 150 can be coupled to the support 120. A bracket mount152 can extend substantially around photodetector 150. An arm 154 extendbetween support 120 and bracket 152 so as to support photodetector 150with an orientation relative to support 120 when placed in the ear canalEC. The arm 154 may comprise a ball portion so as to couple to support120 with a ball-joint. The photodetector 150 can be coupled totransducer 130 so as to driven transducer 130 with electrical energy inresponse to the light energy signal from the output transducer assembly.

Resilient retention structure 110 can be resiliently deformed wheninserted into the ear canal EC. The retention structure 110 can becompressed radially inward along the pivot axes 140A of the coil springssuch that the retention structure 110 is compressed as indicated byarrows 102 from a wide profile configuration having a first width 110W1to an elongate narrow profile configuration having a second width 110W2when advanced along the ear canal EC as indicated by arrow 104 and whenremoved from the ear canal as indicated by arrow 106. The elongatenarrow profile configuration may comprise an elongate dimensionextending along an elongate axis corresponding to an elongate dimensionof support 120 and aperture 120A. The elongate narrow profileconfiguration may comprise a shorter dimension corresponding to a width120W of the support 120 and aperture 120A along a shorter dimension. Theretention structure 110 and support 120 can be passed through the earcanal EC for placement. The reed 132 of the balanced armature transducer130 can be aligned substantially with the ear canal EC when the assembly100 is advanced along the ear canal EC in the elongate narrow profileconfiguration having second width 110W2.

The support 120 may comprise a rigidity greater than the resilientretention structure 110, such that the width 120W remains substantiallyfixed when the resilient retention structure is compressed from thefirst configuration having width 110W1 to the second configurationhaving width 110W2. The rigidity of support 120 greater than theresilient retention structure 110 can provide an intended amount offorce to the eardrum TM when the inner soft coupling structure 136couples to the eardrum, as the support 120 can maintain a substantiallyfixed shape with coupling of the at least one spring 140. In manyembodiments, the outer edges of the resilient retention structure 110can be rolled upwards toward the side of the photodetector 150 so as tocompress the resilient retention structure from the first configurationhaving width 110W1 to the second configuration having width 110W2, suchthat the assembly can be easily advanced along the ear canal EC.

FIG. 3 shows circuitry of the hearing aid system 10. The circuitry ofhearing system 10 may comprise one or more components of inputtransducer assembly 20 and output transducer assembly 100, for example.

The circuitry of the input transducer assembly 20 comprises one or moresources of an input audio signal 164, such as one or more of wirelesscommunication circuitry 160 or microphone circuitry 162, for example.Wireless communication circuitry 160 may comprise one or more of manyknown wireless communication circuitry components such as circuitrycompatible with Bluetooth® communication standards, for example. Themicrophone circuitry 162 may comprise microphone 22 and amplifiers, forexample. The input audio signal 164 is received with an input of soundprocessor 170. Sound processor 170 can be coupled to pulse modulationcircuitry 180 to generate modulated pulses, for example. Alternativelyor in combination, the sound processor 170 may comprise the pulsemodulation circuitry. The output of the pulse modulation circuitry 180can be coupled to drive circuitry 190. The drive circuitry 190 can becoupled to an output light source 12, for example. The output lightsource 12 can provide output light energy pulses modulated in accordancewith pulse modulation circuitry 190, for example.

The light output source 12 can be configured in one or more of manyways. The light output source 12 can be placed in the ear canal, oroutside the ear canal such as in a BTE unit as described herein, forexample. The light output source 12 may comprise one or more of manylight sources such as a light emitting diode, a laser, or a laser diode,for example. In many embodiments, the output light source 12 comprises alaser diode having a linear light energy output in response to an inputsignal, for example. The laser diode having the substantially linearoutput in response to the input signal can provide a low distortionoutput light signal, which can be combined with an analog output ormodulated output signal from the processor and drive circuitry asdescribed herein, for example.

The circuitry of the output transducer assembly 100 can be configured inone or more of many ways to receive the pulse modulated light signal andinduce vibrations of the subject's auditory pathway. In manyembodiments, a photodetector 150 receives the modulated light pulses.The photodetector 150 may comprise one or more of many light sensitivematerials such as a photodiode, a silicone photodiode material or aphotostrictive material, for example. In many embodiments, photodetector150 is coupled to an output transducer 130. The output transducer 130may comprise one or more of many electromechanical actuators such as acoil, a magnetic material, a magnet, a balanced armature transducer, ora piezo electric material, for example.

The pulse modulation circuitry 180 may comprise one or more of pulsewidth modulation circuitry or pulse density modulation circuitry, forexample. In many embodiments, the pulse modulation circuitry can bereplaced or combined with one or more of many forms of circuitry. Forexample, the pulse modulation circuitry can be replaced with circuitryconfigured to output an analog optical signal, such as a class Aamplifier. Alternatively, the pulse modulation circuitry can be replacedwith one more of many forms of modulation circuitry such amplitudemodulation, frequency modulation, or phase modulation, for example, inorder to decrease the optical energy of the output signal from the lightsource.

The processor 170 may comprise on or more components of the inputtransducer assembly. The sound processor 170 may comprise one or moreof: analog circuitry to amplify an analog signal from the microphone;analog to digital conversion circuitry to convert an analog input signalto a digital circuitry; digital input circuitry to receive a digitalsound signal; a digital signal processor; a tangible medium embodyinginstructions to process a sound signal; output circuitry to output adigital signal; digital filters to adjust a sound signal in response touser preference; and combinations thereof. In many embodiments, thesound processor is configured with instructions to adjust the bias ofthe input signal and limit peaks as described herein.

The sound processor may comprise one or more components of acommercially available sound processor known to those of ordinary skillin the art of hearing aid design. The sound processor may comprise atangible medium such as one or more of a computer readable memory,random access memory, read only memory, writable erasable read onlymemory, and a solid state hard drive. The sound processor may comprise aprocessor capable of executing instructions stored on the tangiblemedium, and may comprise gate array logic, programmable gate arraylogic, and combinations thereof. The processor may comprise a pluralityof processors and a plurality of tangible media, for example. A personof ordinary skill in the art will recognize many configurations ofprocessor 170 in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 4A shows an input signal 210 relative to an input reference 205 andthe input signal 210 with an adjustable bias 220. The input signal 210may comprise an audio signal as described herein. The reference level205 may correspond to, for example, 0 volts, and the amplitude of theinput signal may vary over a range of positive and negative voltages of+1 and −1, for example. The voltage scale can be arbitrary. With theinitial input audio signal 210 relative to reference level 205, theinput audio signal varies above and below the reference 205 which inmany embodiments may correspond to, for example 0 Volts. The inputsignal 210 comprises a peak 217 and a trough 218. In many embodimentstrough 218 comprises a negative peak. The peak 217 and trough 218 maycomprise a local peak and a local trough, respectively, for example.

In some embodiments of the invention, an input signal may have a voltagerange from +1 to ˜1 without causing clipping of the output. Inembodiments of the invention where the input signal is to a range of +1to ˜1 volts, a small amplitude signal (e.g. a signal ranging inamplitude from approximately +0.1 to −0.1 volts) applied to the input ofthe pulse modulation circuitry 180 (e.g. a pulse wave modulator or pulsedensity modulator) will result in a duty cycle, without the adjustablebias, of about 50%. This duty cycle of about 50% results in greaterpower consumption than would be ideal for the amount of variation of theinput audio signal 210.

In embodiments of the invention, a bias is applied to the input signalto ensure that the output of the pulse modulation circuitry accounts forboth the positive and negative going amplitude peaks. In embodiments ofthe invention, this bias (e.g. reference level 205) may be a fixed biasand may be illustrated in, for Example FIG. 4A as having a referencevalue of 0.0. As this reference level is generally chosen to ensure thatthe largest input signal (e.g. a signal having positive and negativepeak values of +1 and −1 volts) will not encounter clipping, it isgenerally chosen to be larger than required to prevent clipping ofsmaller input signals. For a small amplitude input signal, such assignal 210 in FIG. 4A, a smaller bias 220 can be combined with the inputsignal 210 to provide the biased input signal 212. The biased inputsignal 212 decreases the duty cycle of the pulses output from the pulsemodulation circuitry 180. The biased input signal 212 can be offset byan amount sufficient to substantially decrease the duty cycle of lightpulses in, for example, a laser driven by the output of drive circuitry190. In some embodiments of the invention, a reference bias 205 may bereduced by, for example, 0.7 units, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, for aperiod of time during which the amplitude of an input signal 210 variesbetween a peak of approximately 0.1 units and −0.1 units.

FIG. 4B shows pulse width modulated light pulses in a system wheresliding bias has not been applied. In FIG. 4B, the instantaneous inputsignal value is shown from an arbitrary scale of −1 to +1. At a signalvalue of 0, the duty cycle of the pulse modulated signal is 50%. Atsignal values of −1, −0.5, +0.5 and 1, the duty cycle values are 0%,25%, 75% and 100%, respectively. Each duty cycle comprises a period T,an on time Ton of the light source and an off time Toff of the lightsource. The duty cycle in per cent can be defined as (Ton/T)*100. In asystem such as that illustrated in FIG. 4B, a small signal, such assignal 210 from FIG. 4A would result in a duty cycle of betweenapproximately 45% and 55%, a duty cycle which would result in the use ofmuch more energy than would be required to actually transmit theinformation in signal 210. Thus, it would be advantageous to be reducethe duty cycle for signal 210 to a range of between approximately 0% and10% to reduce the amount of energy required to transmit that signal. Insome embodiments of the invention, that reduction may be accomplishedthrough the use of a sliding bias by sensing, for example, minimum peaksof the incoming signal and modifying the amount of bias applied toreduce the duty cycle. In some embodiments of the invention, this may bedone by, for example, modifying the duty cycle which is representativeof the zero crossing of the incoming signal, such as, for example,reducing the duty cycle representative of a zero crossing from 50% asillustrated in FIG. 4B to approximately 10% for input signal 205 fromFIG. 4A.

Although pulse width modulated signals are shown, the pulse modulatedsignal may comprise a pulse density modulated signal, or a pulsefrequency modulated signal, for example. In many embodiments, the pulsemodulated signal as described herein comprises a substantially fixedamplitude in order to inhibit effects of non-linearities of the opticalsound transmission system components such one or more of the lightsource, the photodetector or the output transducer, for example.

FIG. 4C shows an increased amplitude of input signal 210 with theadjustable 220 bias of FIG. 4A and peak limiting. In the upper graph,Signal 210 is shown in relation to input reference 205. In thisembodiment, clipping of signal 210 occurs when signal 201 exceeds anamplitude of +1.0 or −1.0, therefore, any applied bias must account forthose clipping limits. It would, however, be advantageous to lower theapplied bias represented by reference 205, in order to save energy. Inthe lower graph of FIG. 4C, bias 220, which is lower than reference bias205 by approximately −0.7 units, is applied to signal 210 in order toprovide biased signal 212. Unfortunately, as the negative peak of signal210 is now at approximately −1.05 units, that peak will be clipped if itis not adjusted. Adjustments to the sliding bias which occur quickly(e.g. in response to changes in amplitude) may, in some embodiments,result in undesirable user perceptible noise. In some embodiments of theinvention, the clipping illustrated in the lower graph of FIG. 4C may,therefore, be addressed by adjusting the gain of the system to ensurethat the signal is not clipped.

The bias 220 comprises a fixed portion 222 having a substantially fixedvalue and a variable portion 224 comprising a gradually changing value.The gradually changing value is varied sufficiently slowly so as toinhibit user perceptible noise. However, slowly varying the bias mayresult in clipping of the signal until the sliding bias reaches a levelat which clipping no longer occurs.

Alternatively or in combination with the adjustment to bias 220 withvariable portion 224, the amplitude of signal 210 can be adjusted inorder to inhibit clipping of the biased input signal 212. In manyembodiments, the adjustment to the amplitude of signal 210 is providedmuch more rapidly than the adjustment to the bias. In embodiments of theInvention, reduction of the system gain will result in reducing oreliminating clipping of signal 210 until the bias can be adjusted toavoid such clipping, which may take several cycles of signal 210. Oncethe bias is adjusted sufficiently to avoid clipping, the system gain maybe restored to its original value

The adjustment to the gain can be determined with a look ahead delay asdescribed herein below with reference to FIG. 6A. Although FIG. 4C showsthe change to the gain over a portion of the signal for the convenienceof illustration, the change to the gain can occur over several positiveand negative oscillations of the sliding bias signal as describedherein.

In many embodiments, the bias adjustment comprises a steady mode inwhich the bias remains substantially fixed and maintained at anappropriate value to, for example, minimize energy consumption. In someembodiments of the present invention, when the system detects a signalwherein the negative going peak will exceed the system limit, thesliding bias enters an attack mode, in which the bias is increased (insome embodiments an increase in sliding bias makes it less negative). Insome embodiments of the invention, where the system detects that thebias may be reduced without causing clipping, the sliding bias enters arelease mode in which the bias is decreased, which, in some embodimentswill result in a reduction of duty cycle in the output signal.

The gain and corresponding amplitude of the signal can be adjusted in amanner similar to the bias as described herein, and can be adjusted morequickly without substantial user perceptible artifacts, for example. Inmany embodiments, the adjustment to the system gain inhibits userperceptible clipping of the signal which may otherwise occur when thebiased signal exceeds the lower range limit. By inhibiting the biasedsignal from reaching a value more negative than the negative limit ofthe circuitry, while reducing the sliding bias to a minimum value,improved sound quality with decreased distortion and power consumptioncan be provided.

FIGS. 5A and 5B show light power curves biased to substantially decreasepower consumption. The system of FIGS. 5A and 5B are designed toaccommodate an output signal having a maximum peak to peak amplitude of+2.0 units without clipping. The bias applied to a large amplitudesignal is, therefore, approximately +1.0 units. FIG. 5A shows the powercurve 250 of an input signal of medium amplitude with a bias of +1.0units but without sliding bias applied. The fixed bias of power curve250 provides improved signal quality and can accommodate negativevoltage of an input signal such as a microphone. A sliding bias of −0.5is shown applied to the fixed bias signal, reducing the bias applied to0.5 units and producing a sliding biased signal 255. The sliding biasmay be adjusted so that the trough (or negative peak) 256 of the signalto which the sliding bias has been applied is at or near zero power.This configuration allows the bias (and output power) to besubstantially decreased when the signal to be transmitted is smallerthan the maximum signal the system can transmit with clipping. Inembodiments of the invention, the sliding bias is used to decrease theapplied bias to a value which reduces output power consumed whilepreventing clipping of the output signal. FIG. 5B shows another example,in which a larger sliding bias adjustment is used to shift the biasapplied to a small-amplitude signal. In this case, the power curve ofsignal 260 starts with a bias of +1.0. Since the peak to peak amplitudeof signal 260 is approximately 0.5, −0.75 may be chosen, correspondingto the difference between the amplitude and the offset of the inputsignal. This results in a sliding-biased signal 256 with a bias of 0.25,so that its trough 256 is substantially decreased at or near zero powerand is not clipped.

The input signal may comprise an unbiased input audio signal or a biasedinput audio signal. The fixed bias as described herein can be introducedto the input signal in many ways. For example an input analog audiosignal from a microphone may have an input range from −1 to +1(arbitrary), and the analog to digital converter can be configured todigitize the input analog signal such that the digitized values arepositive, for example from 0 to 2 (arbitrary). Alternatively, the analogto digital converter may convert the analog values to a digital rangefrom −1 to +1, and a fixed bias of 1.0 introduced to the digitizedvalues with addition, for example, such that the digitized values rangefrom 0 to 2, for example. The fixed bias may comprise a fixed bias of aninput digital audio signal from an external source such as music from adigital library or a cellular phone, for example. Alternatively or incombination, the processor can be configured with instructions toprovide a fixed bias to the input digital audio signal, for example.

The curves shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B can be generated with the fixed biasand sliding bias output as described herein provided to an analogamplifier such as a class B amplifier. The sliding bias can be providedin order to provide decreased power consumption as a result of adecrease in the bias during periods where a maximum bias is notrequired.

FIG. 5C shows an encoding of the fixed bias curve 250 of FIG. 5A, usingpulse width modulation (PWM). Black bars illustrate time periods inwhich light is on, and white bars illustrate time periods in which lightis off. In this example, a clock rate of 12.5 kHz is used, with minimumpulse width of 10 microseconds, allowing a pulse width variable from 0to 80 microseconds in 10 microsecond increments. Higher clock rates andsmaller minimum pulse widths than illustrated may be chosen to allowhigher-resolution signal transmission.

FIG. 5D shows an encoding of the fixed bias curve 250 of FIG. 5A, usingpulse density modulation (PDM). Black bars illustrate time periods inwhich light is on, and white bars illustrate time periods in which lightis off. In this example, a clock rate of 100 kHz is used, correspondingto a minimum pulse width of 10 microseconds. Higher clock rates andsmaller minimum pulse widths than illustrated may be chosen to allowhigher-resolution signal transmission.

FIG. 5E shows an encoding of the sliding biased curve 255 of FIG. 5A,using PWM. Black bars illustrate time periods in which light is on, andwhite bars illustrate time periods in which light is off. In thisexample, a clock rate of 12.5 kHz is used, with minimum pulse width of10 microseconds, allowing a pulse width variable from 0 to 80microseconds in 10 microsecond increments. Higher clock rates andsmaller minimum pulse widths than illustrated may be chosen to allowhigher-resolution signal transmission. In comparison with FIG. 5C, theencoding of FIG. 5E has a lower duty cycle, as shown by the smalleramount of black signal, illustrating that less light power is needed totransmit the signal of sliding bias curve 255 than of fixed biased curve250. The lower duty cycle provides substantially decreased powerconsumption.

FIG. 5F shows an encoding of the sliding biased curve 255 of FIG. 5A,using PDM. Black bars illustrate time periods in which light is on, andwhite bars illustrate time periods in which light is off. In thisexample, a clock rate of 100 kHz is used, corresponding to a minimumpulse width of 10 microseconds. Higher clock rates and smaller minimumpulse widths than illustrated may be chosen to allow higher-resolutionsignal transmission. In comparison with FIG. 5D, the encoding of FIG. 5Fhas a lower duty cycle, as shown by the smaller amount of black signal,illustrating that less light power is needed to transmit the signal ofsliding bias curve 255 than of fixed biased curve 250. The decreasedduty cycle and pulse density provides decreased power consumption.

The light source such as a laser may comprise the most significantsource of power consumption with an optical hearing system, and thepower drawn by the laser is often proportional to the signal offset.Therefore, applying a large sliding bias so that the signal comes closeto clipping is helpful for reducing power consumption and extendingbattery life.

In some cases, when biasing a signal to reduce power consumption, it maybe desirable, as discussed earlier, to adjust the signal gaindynamically, for example by peak limiting. Peak limiting may be usefulto inhibit clipping. FIG. 6A shows amplitude of an input signal, such asa digital input signal, with sliding bias and peak limiting to inhibitclipping. An input signal 210 is shown in relation to input reference205 corresponding to a peak-to-peak signal amplitude of 1.0 (arbitrary).The input reference 205 corresponds to a middle of the input signalrange, and may correspond to an average value of a fixed bias inputsignal as described herein. The reference level 205 may correspond to 0volts of an input such as a microphone as described herein, for example.The signal 210 comprises positive peaks 217 and a negative peakcomprising trough 218 at signal amplitudes of about 0.5 and −0.5,respectively. Although reference is made to sine waves by wave ofexample, the embodiments disclosed herein are well suited with manytypes of input sound, including asymmetric sound having differentpositive and negative maximum intensities in relation to input reference205.

As shown in FIG. 6A, a sliding bias of −0.6 units is applied to inputsignal 210, generating a sliding-biased signal 212 with peaks 217 at asignal levels of about −0.1 units. For a substantial of the portion oftime 222, signal 212 is small enough that the sliding bias of −0.6 doesnot result in any clipping and the system gain may be maintained at aconstant level. However, an increase in signal 212 may result in thenegative peak being clipped absent a modification of the bias leveland/or system gain. In the event that the increase in signal levelhappens faster than the bias can be increased without causing negativeaudio artifacts, the system gain may be dynamically adjusted, so thatthe trough 215 of the biased signal 212 is higher than the unadjustedtrough 218. This gain adjustment ensures that clipping of the negativepeaks does not occur and results in a signal 214 with a peak negativemagnitude of no greater than −1.0. After reducing the system gain, thepositive peak value 217 of the sliding biased curve is reduced as well,such that the sliding-biased curve has a lower peak to peak amplitude ofabout 0.8 units. Dynamically adjusting the biased signal in this mannerinhibits negative clipping, thus decreasing distortion of the signal.Once the sliding bias is adjusted to a point where clipping no longeroccurs, the system gain may be restored to its optimum value. Theadjustment to the bias during time period 224 may be applied gradually,including over a period of multiple wavelengths, so that the biasremains substantially fixed when the system gain is reduced in order toinhibit user perceptible noise related to the change in bias. Theprocessor may comprise instructions to decrease the gain over a durationno more than a length of a look ahead delay, such that bias remainssubstantially fixed to within about five percent (5%) over the length ofthe look ahead delay, for example.

FIG. 6B shows how a look-ahead delay may be employed to determine when achange in gain is needed. In FIG. 6B, a sliding-bias of approximately−0.6 units is applied to an input signal 210 to generate asliding-biased signal 212. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6B, thesystem has applied a look ahead delay 270 such that the output signal isdelayed by a fixed period in order to modify that output in the eventthat the input signal changes in a manner which requires the outputsignal to be modified to maintain, for example, sound quality. Thelook-ahead delay as illustrated is about 0.5 ms, or about one quarter ofa wavelength, but different look-ahead delays, including longerlook-ahead delays of about 1 ms, about 2 ms, or longer than 2 ms may bechosen to provide more time to react to amplitude changes. Thelook-ahead delay 270 allows the generation of a prediction 216 of thevalue that the sliding-biased signal 212 is expected to take after thelook-ahead delay. When the prediction 216 is measured to fall below athreshold value, resulting in a predicted clipping 271, a shift insignal gain is triggered. In some cases, the shift in signal gain maynot immediately cause a significant change in the amplitude of thesliding-biased signal 212, but it may change the slope 272. Although thechange in the sliding-biased signal may be gradual, the change in gainmay cause a rapid change 273 in the predicted value 216, because thepredicted value 216 reflects the accumulation of the effect of theshifted gain over the time period of the look-ahead delay 272. As aresult, the sliding-biased signal 212 may be adjusted to inhibitclipping. The amount of gain adjustment can be determined in order toprevent the predicted curve 216 from clipping. The gain adjustment maybe applied at different rates depending on the amount of look-aheaddelay used. In some cases the gain may be adjusted gradually in responseto a predicted clipping, for example in response to a growing area ofpredicted clipping 271. In such cases, the change 273 may be much moregradual than illustrated in FIG. 6B, and in some cases the change may bespread over much or all of the look-ahead delay 270, which may in somecases constitute one or more milliseconds, for example. This slowershift may have the benefit of inhibiting acoustic artifacts anddistortions.

After a shift in gain, the amplitude of the sliding-biased signal willbe reduced. To allow the amplitude to be restored without clipping, thesliding bias may be gradually adjusted. FIG. 6C shows the adjustment ofa sliding bias over time. An input signal (not shown) with amplitude ofabout 0.5 is initially biased with a sliding bias 220 of about 0.6 in anegative direction to produce a sliding-biased curve 212. To inhibitclipping, the gain applied to sliding-biased curve 212 is reduced,resulting in an amplitude of about 0.4. In order to return to thecorrect value of amplitude, the sliding bias 220 is gradually adjustedfrom 0.6 to 0.5. During the same time, the gain is smoothly adjustedback up, increasing the amplitude of the signal along with the shift inbias. This smooth adjustment may keep the troughs of the sliding-biasedcurve 212 at or near a lower threshold value, allowing the signalamplitude to be increased without clipping. After the sliding bias 220reaches about 0.5, and the gain has returned to normal, giving anamplitude 0.5, the adjustment stops and the gain and bias may remainconstant until another change is appropriate as described herein. WhileFIG. 6C shows a linear change in bias over about 30 ms, in some casesthe bias may be shifted nonlinearly and/or over shorter or longertimescales, for example to inhibit audio artifacts such as thumping.

Sliding Bias

The sliding bias as described herein applies a time-varying bias thatadjusts to changes in the signal amplitude. When amplitude is low, themagnitude of the bias is increased to save power. The bias as describedherein may comprise a negative number added to the signal, and the valueof the bias can be decreased to save power with low energy inputsignals. When input sound amplitude is high, the magnitude of the biasis adjusted to inhibit clipping, for example by increasing the value ofthe bias to a less negative number. By dynamically varying the bias,power consumption can be significantly reduced and a high fidelitysignal transmitted.

The methods and apparatus disclosed herein provide a signal processingalgorithm for sliding bias that can be implemented in the digital signalprocessor (DSP) of an optical sound system. The processor embodiesinstructions of an algorithm that adjusts the bias by adding atime-varying offset to the digital signal before it is sent to thedigital-to-analog converter (DAC). The digital to analog converter maycomprise a digital to analog converter that converts a digital value toan output voltage. The digitally biased signal can be output from theDAC to an amplifier such as class B amplifier to drive the light sourcedwith an analog signal. Alternatively, the DAC may comprise delta sigmamodulation circuitry. The output of the delta sigma modulation circuitrycan be used to drive the light source with a digital signal, such as PWMor PDM, for example. The output of the sliding bias algorithm asdisclosed herein may comprise the last element in the signal processingchain so that it provides output signal to the DAC to generate the lightsignal with appropriate amplification.

Signals can be represented in the DSP as fractional digital values inthe range from −1 to +1, for example. The DAC comprising delta sigmamodulation circuitry maps −1 to a pulse density of 0%, 0 to a pulsedensity of 50%, and +1 to a pulse density of 100%, for example. In manycases, the offset added by the sliding bias algorithm is in the range −1to 0, in order to decrease power consumption.

The sliding bias algorithm as described herein is not limited to themodulation scheme that is used to represent the signal with light. Thealgorithm and circuitry as described herein are effective for analog,delta sigma modulation, PDM, pulse width modulation, and many otherapproaches, for example.

Inhibiting Sliding Bias Artifacts

The sliding bias algorithm as described herein has the advantage ofsignificantly decreasing power consumption in order to prolong batterylife. However, this advantage is preferably achieved without introducingaudio artifacts. There are at least three types of artifacts which canbe inhibited with the methods and apparatus as disclosed herein:

1. Clipping. If the bias is inadequate to accommodate the signal rangeat any moment, the signal may clip, producing potentially audibledistortion which can be inhibited with adjustments to the signal gain.

2. Thumping. The time varying bias as described herein is a signal thatis added to the input signal, and this signal is introduced in a mannerthat is substantially inaudible. If the bias is shifted too rapidly, itapproaches a step function and may become audible. This rapid change inbias can be referred to as “thumping”. Because a step function comprisesa predominantly low-frequency signal, the user can perceive a rapidchange in bias as a thump. Work in relation to embodiments suggests thatthe low-frequency rolloff of the output transducer assembly thatreceives transmitted optical power and signal, such as the tympanicmembrane transducer assembly, may help to reduce the audibility of thebias shift. A person of ordinary skill in the art can conductexperiments to determine times over which the bias can be adjusted inorder to inhibit user perceptible thumping in accordance withembodiments disclosed herein.

3. Noise. Due to nonlinearities of one or more of the DAC, laser drivercircuitry, laser, or other components, user perceptible noise couldpotentially be introduced. The sliding bias as disclosed herein can beconfigured to inhibit noise that might otherwise be present with a lowamplitude signal. For example, the noise may rise slightly as slidingbias approaches the lower end of the input range, for example belowabout −0.9. The algorithm can optionally limit the sliding bias valuesto a predetermined minimum amount, for example no lower than about −0.9.Work in relation to embodiments suggests that suitable delta sigmamodulation circuitry can be provided that does not introduce distortionwith low amplitude signals, and limiting of the sliding bias asdescribed herein may not be helpful in at least some embodiments.

Peak Limiting

The circuitry as disclosed herein can be configured to inhibit clippingwithout producing audible thumping. Peak limiting as disclosed hereincan be used to inhibit clipping with adjustments to the gain.

Clipping may occur if a high-amplitude signal arrives when the bias islow. In order to inhibit clipping, a look ahead delay can be provided inorder to shift the bias up in advance of the arrival of thehigh-amplitude signal. However, the look ahead delay may not providesufficient time to adjust the bias for a rapidly decreasing signal, andpeak limiting can be provided to inhibit clipping of rapidly decreasingsignals.

With a rapidly changing signal, the length of the look ahead delay maynot be sufficient to allow the bias to change slowly in order to inhibita user perceptible thump. Work in relation to embodiments suggests thata full-range bias shift applied over a duration of less than about 20-50ms may produce an audible thump. Therefore, peak limiting can beemployed to inhibit clipping while allowing the bias to be changedsufficiently slowly to inhibit thumping.

Limitations of the look ahead delay can be overcome by providing peaklimiting with the sliding bias algorithm. An approach to peak limitingis to apply a rapid gain reduction just before the peak and to restorethe gain just after the peak, for example as shown above with referenceFIGS. 4C and 6. The advantages of combining peak limiting and slidingbias are that a rapid gain change is less likely to create a userperceivable artifact, and peak limiting allows a shorter look aheaddelay to be used with the sliding bias.

The sliding bias and peak limiting algorithms can be combined in manyways. A short look ahead delay of a few milliseconds can used toidentify a peak that would otherwise be clipped by the low bias andinitiate the rapid gain reduction that is helpful to limit the peaksufficiently to inhibit clipping. At about the same time, a slow biasincrease can be initiated to accommodate higher positive and negativepeaks of the input signal. The gain may then be slowly increased as thebias increases, until full gain is restored. Alternatively or incombination, the gain may be rapidly restored in response to a negativesignal rising above a threshold as described herein, depending on theamplitude of the input signal and how rapidly the input signal changes.

Although peak limiting may be considered a form of artifact, peaklimiting combined with the sliding is likely to less likely to beapparent to the user than clipping. The digital peak limiting on thelower peak, has the advantage of being less perceivable and can produceless artifact than rapidly increasing the bias, for example.

Implementation of the Algorithm Bias Calculation and Updating

In many implementations, the sliding bias algorithm operates by trackingthe negative-going peak of the signal and applying a bias that is asnegative as possible without causing the negative-going signal peak todrop below the clipping level of −1. If the negative-going signal peakis M, the most negative bias that can be applied is −1−M.

Several additional constraints may be imposed on the bias value:

-   -   An extra margin against clipping may be imposed. This is an        algorithm parameter ε, referred to as the “bias margin”. With        the margin imposed, the most negative bias is ε−1−M rather than        −1−M. Work in relation to embodiments suggests that a bias        margin within a range from about 0.05 to about 0.15, for example        0.1, can be useful for decreasing distortion. A bias margin can        be similarly employed with analog systems and delta sigma        modulation systems, for example.    -   A lower boundary may be imposed on the range of the bias value.        This lower bound is an algorithm parameter B_(min), referred to        as the “most negative allowed bias”. The most negative allowed        bias can be used to avoid bias values that unacceptably elevate        the noise floor.    -   An upper bound at the middle of the input signal range, such as        0, can be imposed on the range of the bias value, in order to        prevent the bias margin from pushing the bias into positive        territory.

In many implementations, the algorithm uses a linear trajectory to shiftthe bias, although non-linear trajectories can be used. The term“attack” refers to shifting the bias up to prevent clipping when thesignal amplitude rises, and the term “release” refers to shifting thebias down to save power when the signal amplitude falls. The slopes ofthe linear trajectories can be determined by algorithm parametersSBS_(A) (sliding bias attack slope) and SBS_(R) (sliding bias releaseslope), both specified in units of samples⁻¹.

In many implementations, the algorithm has three bias-related statevariables:

-   -   The “current bias” (B_(C)) is the bias value that is being        applied at any instant.    -   The “target bias” (B_(T)) is the endpoint of the bias-shifting        trajectory.    -   The “sliding bias mode” (SBMode) is the mode of operation, which        may be Attack, Release, or Steady. In Attack mode, the bias is        shifting up. In Release mode, the bias is shifting down. In        Steady mode, the bias is held steady for a period of time while        the negative-going peak of the signal is monitored. The duration        of Steady mode is an algorithm parameter D, referred to as the        “steady duration”, in samples.

The algorithm can be initialized as follows:

-   -   B_(C)=0    -   B_(T)=−1    -   SBMode=Steady

While in Steady mode, the algorithm monitors the signal and setsB_(T)=ε−1−M, where M is the most negative observed signal value. B_(T)is constrained to the range from B_(min) to 0.

Steady mode is exited if either of the following conditions occur:

-   -   If the steady duration D is exhausted, Release mode is entered.    -   If B_(T)>B_(C), Attack mode is entered.

While in Attack mode, B_(C) is incremented by SBS_(A) until it reachesB_(T), at which point Steady mode is entered. During this process, B_(T)is updated if a signal value is observed that requires B_(T) to be setto a higher value.

While in Release mode, B_(C) is decremented by SBS_(R) until it reachesB_(T), at which point Steady mode is entered. During this process, if asignal value is observed that requires B_(T)>B_(C), Attack mode isentered.

Peak Limiting

The peak limiting algorithm may begin by calculating a peak limitingthreshold, which is the largest negative-going peak signal magnitude indB in relation to full-scale that can be accommodated by the currentbias value B_(C) without clipping. The peak limiting threshold isdefined as T=20 log₁₀(B_(C)+1). The integration between the sliding biasand peak limiting algorithms is configured such that the peak limitingthreshold depends on the current bias value.

Next, the algorithm calculates the amount in dB by which thenegative-going peak signal magnitude exceeds the peak limitingthreshold. If M is the negative-going signal peak, then the exceedancemay be calculated as E=20 log₁₀(−M)−T. E is set to 0 if M≥0, and E isconstrained to be ≥0 to prevent negative exceedance.

Finally, the algorithm applies a time-varying gain as required tocompensate for exceedance and prevent clipping. When exceedance occurs(i.e., E>0), the gain is gradually reduced to −E dB before the peak andgradually restored. A look ahead delay is employed to detect exceedancein advance so that the gain change can be initiated in time to preventclipping. The look ahead delay is an algorithm parameter Δ (alsoreferred to herein as “look ahead time delay”), in samples.

The gain change trajectory may be linear in dB. Within the peak limitingalgorithm, the term “attack” refers to reducing the gain and “release”refers to increasing the gain. The slopes of the gain trajectories canbe determined by algorithm parameters PLS_(A) (peak limiting attackslope) and PLS_(R) (peak limiting release slope), both specified inunits of dB/sample.

The algorithm has three peak-limiting-related state variables:

-   -   The “current gain” (G_(C)) is the gain value that is being        applied at any instant.    -   The “target gain” (G_(T)) is the endpoint of the gain-shifting        trajectory.    -   The “peak limiting mode” (PLMode) is the mode of operation,        which may be Attack, Release, or Steady. In Attack mode, the        gain is falling. In Release mode, the gain is rising. In Steady        mode, the gain is held steady for a period of time while the        exceedance is monitored. The duration of Steady mode is the look        ahead delay Δ.

The algorithm is initialized as follows:

-   -   G_(C)=0    -   G_(T)=0    -   PLMode=Steady

While in Steady mode, the algorithm monitors the exceedance E and setsG_(T)=−E. Steady mode is exited if either of the following conditionsoccurs:

-   -   If the time spent in Steady mode exceeds the look ahead delay Δ,        Release mode is entered.    -   If G_(T)<G_(C), Attack mode is entered.

While in Attack mode, G_(C) is decremented by PLS_(A) until it reachesG_(T), at which point Steady mode is entered. During this process, G_(T)is updated if an exceedance is observed that requires G_(T) to be set toa lower value.

While in Release mode, G_(C) is incremented by PLS_(R) until it reachesG_(T), at which point Steady mode is entered. During this process, if anexceedance is observed that requires G_(T)<G_(C), Attack mode isentered.

Parameter Selection

While the parameters can be selected in many ways and may comprise manyvalues, this section provides non-limiting examples of considerationsfor selecting values of the algorithm parameters.

In the following, R represents the system sampling rate, in Hz.

The algorithm parameters are summarized in the following table.

Parameter Symbol Units Bias margin ε unitless Most negative allowed biasB_(min) unitless Sliding bias steady mode duration D samples Slidingbias attack slope SBS_(A) samples⁻¹ Sliding bias release slope SBS_(R)samples⁻¹ Peak limiting attack slope PLS_(A) dB/sample Peak limitingrelease slope PLS_(R) dB/sample Look ahead delay Δ samples

Ideally, ε should be set to 0 to substantially decrease powerconsumption. However, setting the bias so low that negative-going peaksare at the digital rail can produce distortion, possibly related to thenoise floor and associated circuitry as disclosed herein. The value forε should be set to the minimum value that prevents such distortion. Workin relation to embodiments suggests that E with in a range from about0.05 to about 0.2, for example equal to 0.1 can provide acceptableresults. A distortion analysis can be performed by a person of ordinaryskill in the art in order to choose an appropriate value.

B_(min) can be set as negative as possible, to substantially decreasepower consumption, but high enough to substantially avoid bias valuesthat unacceptably elevate noise. A system noise analysis can beperformed by a person of ordinary skill in the art in order to choose anappropriate value.

The parameter D can be chosen to provide an acceptable tradeoff betweenpower consumption and artifacts. Smaller values of D reduce powerconsumption by allowing the bias to shift down more quickly in responseto a drop in signal amplitude. Larger values of D reduce the rate ofoccurrence of clipping and/or peak-limiting artifacts, because the biaswill be shifted down after the signal amplitude has been low for alonger duration, which reduces the likelihood of incorrectly concludingthat the signal amplitude has actually decreased. Suitable values are inthe range from 1 to 10 seconds, which corresponds to a range from R to10R samples.

SBS_(R) should be set fast enough to substantially decrease powerconsumption and slow enough to substantially inhibit user perceptiblethumping. A suitable value is 1/(0.5R) samples⁻¹, which implements afull-range bias shift over the course of 500 ms, for example.

Choosing SBS_(A) can result a tradeoff between different types ofartifacts. Faster values of SBS_(A) allow a faster response to signalamplitude increase, which substantially decreases clipping andpeak-limiting artifacts, but slower values of SBS_(A) decrease thumping.A suitable value is 1/(0.05R) samples⁻¹, which implements a full-rangebias shift over the course of 50 ms, for example.

The peak-limiting slopes PLS_(A) and PLS_(R) can be chosen with atradeoff between different types of artifacts. Fast slopes substantiallydecrease envelope distortion by making the gain change moretime-limited, but excessively fast slopes may introduce spectraldistortion. In addition, there is an interaction among PLS_(A), B_(min),and Δ. To inhibit clipping, the following relationship can beconsidered:

PLS_(A)≥−20 log₁₀(B _(min)+1)/Δ

This constraint can allow the attack slope to increase fast enough torespond to the worst-case exceedance condition within the look aheaddelay. If the system noise analysis yields a choice of B_(min)=−0.5, anda look ahead delay of 2 ms is acceptable, an attack slope of at least 3dB/ms=3000/R dB/sample can be provided to inhibit clipping. The releaseslope is not critical for preventing clipping, so the release slope canbe slower to inhibit spectral distortion. A suitable value might be 1dB/ms=1000/R dB/sample, for example.

Additional Description of the Algorithm

The algorithm can be block-oriented for efficiency and for compatibilitywith the block-based architecture of commercially available DSP systems.L is the block length, in samples. The look ahead delay is constrainedto be an integral number of blocks. The symbol K can be used torepresent the look ahead delay in blocks; hence Δ=KL.

The algorithm receives a block of input samples, x[i:i+L−1], andproduces a block of output samples, y[i:i+L−1], where i is the startingsample number of the current block. The algorithm proceeds in threesections:

-   -   1. The pre block loop section analyzes the input block, sets the        sliding bias mode and target bias, and sets the peak limiting        mode and target gain. The pre-block-loop section is described in        further detail below with reference to method 300 and method 400        of FIG. 7.    -   2. The block loop applies the time-varying bias and gain to the        input block to produce the output block. The block loop is        described in further detail below with reference to method 500        and method 600 of FIG. 7.    -   3. The post block loop section checks for termination of the        bias and gain trajectories and resets state variables        accordingly. The post block loop section is described in further        detail below with reference to method 700 and 800 of FIG. 7

The following table shows the state variables used in the algorithm andtheir initial values.

Parameter Symbol Units Initial Value Sliding bias mode SBMode Steady,Attack, or Release Steady Peak limiting mode PLMode Steady, Attack, orRelease Steady Sliding bias steady counter SBCtr samples D Peak limitingsteady counter PLCtr samples KL Target bias B_(T) unitless −1 Currentbias B_(C) unitless 0 Target peak limiting gain G_(T) dB 0 Current peaklimiting gain G_(C) dB 0

FIG. 7 shows a method 900 of implementing an adjustable bias and peaklimiting, in accordance with embodiments. The method 900 may compriseone or more of a plurality of methods, such as one or more of a method300, a method 400, a method 500, a method 600, a method 700 or a method800, for example.

The method 900 may comprise one or more of the following parameters:

-   -   Signals:        -   x[i]=input at sample i, range [−1, +1]        -   y[i]=output at sample i, range [−1, +1]    -   Parameters:        -   L=input/output block length, samples        -   K=look ahead delay, blocks        -   D=sliding bias steady mode duration, samples        -   SBS_(A)=sliding bias attack slope, samples⁻¹        -   SBS_(R)=sliding bias release slope, samples⁻¹        -   PLS_(A)=peak limiting attack slope, dB/sample        -   PLS_(R)=peak limiting release slope, dB/sample        -   ε=bias margin (unitless)        -   B_(min)=most negative allowed bias (unitless)    -   State Variables:        -   SBMode=sliding bias mode (Steady, Attack, or Release)        -   PLMode=peak limiting mode (Steady, Attack, or Release)        -   SBCtr=sliding bias steady counter, samples        -   PLCtr=peak limiting steady counter, samples        -   B_(T)=target bias (unitless)        -   B_(C)=current bias (unitless)        -   G_(T)=target peak limiting gain, dB        -   G_(C)=current peak limiting gain, dB        -   i=starting sample number of current block    -   Initialization of State Variables:        -   SBMode=Steady        -   PLMode=Steady        -   SBCtr=D        -   PLCtr=K×L        -   B_(T)=−1        -   B_(C)=0        -   G_(T)=0        -   G_(C)=0        -   i=0

Method 300 comprises analyzing input signals of a system to determinewhether a signal bias can be shifted and clipping inhibited, inaccordance with embodiments.

At a step 302, a block of incoming signal is provided. The signal blockmay comprise signal from one or more auditory inputs as describedherein.

At a step 304, the minimum value, M, of the incoming signal of the blockis determined.

At a step 306, the most negative bias, B, that can be applied to theblock without clipping any troughs of the input is determined.

At a step 308, the values of B and a target bias, B_(T), are compared.

At a step 310, if the value of B_(T) is less than the value of B, thenthe value of B_(T) is set to equal the value of B.

At a step 311, the value of B_(T) is compared to the value of B_(C).

At a step 312, if the value of B_(T) is greater than B_(C), then asignal bias mode (hereinafter “SBMode”), is set to “Attack.”

Steps 308, 310, 311, and 312 disclose a method of setting the SBMode to“attack” when the bias should be increased in order to account fordeeper troughs in the signal, so as to inhibit clipping.

At a step 314, the value of SBMode is compared to “steady.”

At a step 316, if the value of SBMode is equal to “steady,” a counterwith a defined interval or cycle is decremented.

At a step 317, the value of the counter is compared to zero.

At a step 318, if the counter is less than or equal to zero, then theSBMode is set to “release.”

Steps 314, 316, 317, and 318 disclose a method of setting SBMode to“release” when, after a defined period as determined by the counter, nopeaks were clipped.

A method 400 comprises analyzing input signals of a system to determinewhether or not the gain should be adjusted to limit peaks in order toinhibit clipping, in accordance with embodiments.

At a step 402, a threshold T for the peak limiting algorithm disclosedherein is determined, comprising a formula that includes the value ofB_(C) from method 300.

At a step 403, the value of M, the minimum value of the incoming signalof the block of step 302, is compared to 0.

At a step 404, if M is less than 0, then an exceedance E is determined,representing the number of decibels a signal trough goes below thethreshold, if at all.

At a step 406, if M is not less than 0, then E is set to equal 0.

At a step 407, the value of −1 multiplied by E is compared to a targetpeak limiting gain, G_(T).

At a step 408, if −1 multiplied by E is less than G_(T), then G_(T) isset to equal −1 multiplied by E.

At a step 409, the value of G_(T) is compared to the value of thecurrent gain of the system, G_(C).

At a step 410, if G_(T) is less than G_(C), the peak limiting mode(hereinafter “PLMode”), is set to “attack.”

Steps 407, 408, 409, and 410 disclose a method of setting the peaklimiting mode to “attack” in order to adjust for troughs that may beclipped.

At a step 412, the value of PLMode is compared to “steady.”

At a step 414, if the value of PLMode is equal to “steady,” a counterwith a defined interval or cycle is decremented.

At a step 415, the value of the counter is compared to 0.

At a step 416, once the counter has been exhausted, PLMode is set to“release.”

At a step 418, the PLMode and the SBMode of method 300 is passed on to asubsequent block loop method.

Steps 412, 414, 415, and 416 disclose a method of setting the peaklimiting mode to “release” when, after a given period as determined bythe counter, no peaks have been clipped.

Method 500 comprises changing the signal bias and inhibiting clipping,in accordance with embodiments. Method 500 comprises a block loop methodthat may accept outputs from method 300.

At a step 502, a loop is initiated.

At a step 503, the state of SBmode is determined. At step 503, the statevariable SBMode comprises an input from the outputs of method 300, forexample. The SBMode may comprise states “attack” and “release”, forexample.

At a step 504, if SBMode is set to “attack,” then B_(C) will be set tothe smaller value of either B_(C) plus a sliding bias attack mode slope,or B_(T).

At a step 505, the state of SBMode is determined.

At a step 506, if SBMode is set to “release,” then B_(C) will be set tothe larger value of either B_(C) minus a sliding bias release modeslope, or B_(T).

At a step 508, the loop executes until any loop conditions aresatisfied. For example, such loop conditions may comprise exhaustion ofa counter.

Method 600 comprises changing the gain of a system in order to inhibitclipping, in accordance with embodiments. Method comprises a block loopmethod that may accept outputs from method 400.

At a step 602, a loop is initiated.

At step 603, the state of PLMode is determined. At step 603, the statevariable PLMode comprises an input from the outputs of embodiments suchas those of method 400. For example, PLMode may comprise states “attack”and “release.”

At a step 604, if PLMode is set to “attack,” then G_(C) will be set tothe larger value of either G_(C) minus a peak limiting attack modeslope, or G_(T).

At a step 605, the state of PLMode is determined.

At a step 606, if PLMode is set to “release,” then G_(C) will be set tothe smaller value of either G_(C) minus a peak limiting release modeslope, or G_(T).

At a step 608, an output sample—comprising an equation comprisingvariables such as G_(C), a look ahead time delay, and a current bias—isdetermined.

At a step 610, the loop executes until any loop conditions aresatisfied. For example, such loop conditions may comprise exhaustion ofa counter.

A method 700 comprises updating the sliding bias mode as appropriate, inaccordance with embodiments. Method 700 comprises accepting outputs frommethods such as method 500.

At a step 701, the value of B_(C) is compared to the value of B_(T), andthe value of SBMode is determined.

At a step 702, if B_(C) is equal to B_(T) and SBMode is not set to“steady, then SBMode will be set to “steady” for a defined amount oftime. State variables, such as B_(T), are also initialized.

At a step 704, the method terminates.

A method 800 comprises updating the peak limiting mode as appropriate,in accordance with embodiments. Method 800 comprises accepting outputsfrom methods such as method 600.

At a step 801, the value of G_(C) is compared to the value of G_(T), andthe value of PLMode is determined.

At a step 802, if G_(C) is equal to G_(T), and PLMode is not set to“steady, then PLMode will be set to “steady” for a given amount of time.State variables, such as G_(T), are also initialized.

At a step 804, the algorithm terminates.

The method 900 discloses a method of adjusting a bias and limitingpeaks, in accordance with embodiments. A person of ordinary skill in theart will recognize many variations and modifications based on thedisclosure provided herein. For example, some steps may be added orremoved. The steps can be combined, or the order changed. Some of themethods may comprise sub-methods. Some of the steps may comprisesub-steps, and many of the steps can be repeated.

The values of method 900 can be determined with one or more ofcalculations, look up tables, fuzzy logic, or neural networks, forexample.

The method 900 can be embodied with instructions stored on a tangiblemedium of processor 170. The processor can be coupled to components ofthe system in order to perform one or more steps of method 900.

Examples of ranges of parameters suitable for use with method 900 maycomprise one or more of the following, where R is the sampling rate ofthe system:

-   -   K (look ahead delay), within a range from about 0.0001R/L to        about 0.01R/L    -   D (sliding bias steady mode duration), within a range from about        0.5R to about 2R    -   SBS_(A) (sliding bias attack slope), within a range from about        1/(0.01R) to about 1/(0.9R)    -   SBS_(R) (sliding bias release slope), within a range from about        1/(0.1R) to about 1/(0.9R)    -   PLS_(A) (peak limiting attack slope), within a range from about        1000/R to about 9000/R    -   PLS_(R) (peak limiting release slope), within a range from about        100/R to about 10000/R    -   ε (bias margin), within a range from about 0.05 to about 0.3    -   B_(min) (most negative allowed bias), within a range from about        −0.5 to about −1.0

While preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have been shownand described herein, it will be obvious to those skilled in the artthat such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Numerousvariations, changes, and substitutions will be apparent to those skilledin the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments ofthe present disclosure described herein may be employed withoutdeparting from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scopeof the present invention shall be defined solely by the scope of theappended claims and the equivalents thereof.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method of transmitting an audio signal to an ear of auser, the method comprising: receiving the audio signal from an input;determining a bias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal with aprocessor in response to the audio signal; outputting the biased audiosignal to circuitry to drive an electromagnetic energy source with thebiased signal in order to generate an electromagnetic signal withdecreased electromagnetic energy transmitted from the light source; andreceiving the electromagnetic signal with an output transducer tovibrate the ear in response to the electromagnetic signal, wherein theprocessor comprises instructions for a look ahead delay to decrease thegain to inhibit clipping in response to a negative signal below athreshold amount detected with the look ahead delay.
 3. A method as inclaim 2, wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the biasto decrease the energy of the electromagnetic signaling in response todecreased energy of the audio signal and to adjust the bias to increasethe energy of the electromagnetic signal in response to increased energyof the audio signal in order to inhibit distortion.
 4. A method as inclaim 3, wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the biasin a direction corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal.
 5. Amethod as in claim 3, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the bias to decrease amounts of the energy of the electromagneticsignal at a first rate and to increase amounts of the energy of theelectromagnetic signal at a second rate to inhibit distortion, the firstrate slower than the second rate.
 6. A method as in claim 3, wherein theprocessor comprises instructions to adjust the bias over a time durationof more than about 50 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.
 7. Amethod as in claim 3, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the bias over a time duration of more than about 20 ms in orderto inhibit an audible thump.
 8. A method as in claim 2, wherein theprocessor comprises instructions to adjust the biased signal to morepositive values in response to the negative signal below the thresholdamount and to increase the gain when the biased signal is adjusted tothe more positive values.
 9. A method as in claim 2, wherein thenegative signal corresponds to negative sound pressure and the thresholdamount comprises a lower end of the input range.
 10. A method as inclaim 9, wherein the processor comprises instructions to decrease thegain faster than a change in bias and wherein the bias remainssubstantially fixed when the gain is decreased in response to the signalbelow the threshold.
 11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the processorcomprises instructions to decrease the gain over a duration no more thana length of the look ahead delay and the bias remains substantiallyfixed to within about five percent (5%) over the length of the lookahead delay.
 12. A method as in claim 2, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions to limit the bias in response to a noise floor associatedwith one or more of delta sigma modulation circuitry, the circuitry todrive the electromagnetic energy source, electromagnetic energy sourceor the output transducer to receive the output signal.
 13. A method asin claim 2, wherein the audio signal comprises a fixed bias and theprocessor comprises instructions to determine the biased audio signal inresponse to the fixed bias of the audio signal.
 14. A method as in claim2, wherein the circuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy sourcecomprises delta sigma modulation circuitry.
 15. A method as in claim 14,wherein the delta sigma modulation circuitry comprises one or more ofpulse width modulation circuitry, pulse density modulation circuitry, ora digital to analog converter of the processor comprising the pulsedensity modulation circuitry.
 16. A method as in claim 15, wherein thecircuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy source comprises an analogamplifier.
 17. A method of transmitting an audio signal to an ear of auser, the method comprising: receiving the audio signal from an input;determining a bias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal with aprocessor in response to the audio signal; outputting the biased audiosignal to circuitry to drive an electromagnetic energy source with thebiased signal in order to generate an electromagnetic signal withdecreased electromagnetic energy transmitted from the light source; andreceiving the electromagnetic signal with an output transducer tovibrate the ear in response to the electromagnetic signal, wherein theprocessor comprises instructions to limit the bias in response to anoise floor associated with one or more of delta sigma modulationcircuitry, the circuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy source, theelectromagnetic energy source or the output transducer to receive theoutput signal.
 18. A method as in claim 17, wherein the processorcomprises instructions to adjust the bias to decrease the energy of theelectromagnetic signaling in response to decreased energy of the audiosignal and to adjust the bias to increase the energy of theelectromagnetic signal in response to increased energy of the audiosignal in order to inhibit distortion.
 19. A method as in claim 18,wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias in adirection corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal.
 20. Amethod as in claim 18, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the bias to decrease amounts of the energy of the electromagneticsignal at a first rate and to increase amounts of the energy of theelectromagnetic signal at a second rate to inhibit distortion, the firstrate slower than the second rate.
 21. A method as in claim 18, whereinthe processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias over a timeduration of more than about 50 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.22. A method as in claim 18, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions to adjust the bias over a time duration of more than about20 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.
 23. A method as in claim 17,wherein the processor comprises instructions for a look ahead delay todecrease the gain to inhibit clipping in response to a negative signalbelow a threshold amount detected with the look ahead delay.
 24. Amethod as in claim 23, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the biased signal to more positive values in response to thenegative signal below the threshold amount and to increase the gain whenthe biased signal is adjusted to the more positive values.
 25. A methodas in claim 23, wherein the negative signal corresponds to negativesound pressure and the threshold amount comprises a lower end of theinput range.
 26. A method as in claim 25, wherein the processorcomprises instructions to decrease the gain faster than a change in biasand wherein the bias remains substantially fixed when the gain isdecreased in response to the signal below the threshold.
 27. A method asin claim 26, wherein the processor comprises instructions to decreasethe gain over a duration no more than a length of the look ahead delayand the bias remains substantially fixed to within about five percent(5%) over the length of the look ahead delay.
 28. A method as in claim17, wherein the audio signal comprises a fixed bias and the processorcomprises instructions to determine the biased audio signal in responseto the fixed bias of the audio signal.
 29. A method as in claim 17,wherein the circuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy sourcecomprises delta sigma modulation circuitry.
 30. A method as in claim 29,wherein the delta sigma modulation circuitry comprises one or more ofpulse width modulation circuitry, pulse density modulation circuitry, ora digital to analog converter of the processor comprising the pulsedensity modulation circuitry.
 31. A method as in claim 30, wherein thecircuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy source comprises an analogamplifier.
 32. A method of transmitting an audio signal to an ear of auser, the method comprising: receiving the audio signal from an input;determining a bias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal with aprocessor in response to the audio signal; outputting the biased audiosignal to circuitry to drive an electromagnetic energy source with thebiased signal in order to generate an electromagnetic signal withdecreased electromagnetic energy transmitted from the light source; andreceiving the electromagnetic signal with an output transducer tovibrate the ear in response to the electromagnetic signal, wherein theaudio signal comprises a fixed bias and the processor comprisesinstructions to determine the biased audio signal in response to thefixed bias of the audio signal, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions for a look ahead delay to decrease the gain to inhibitclipping in response to a negative signal below a threshold amountdetected with the look ahead delay.
 33. A method as in claim 32, whereinthe processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias to decrease theenergy of the electromagnetic signaling in response to decreased energyof the audio signal and to adjust the bias to increase the energy of theelectromagnetic signal in response to increased energy of the audiosignal in order to inhibit distortion.
 34. A method as in claim 33,wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias in adirection corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal.
 35. Amethod as in claim 33, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the bias to decrease amounts of the energy of the electromagneticsignal at a first rate and to increase amounts of the energy of theelectromagnetic signal at a second rate to inhibit distortion, the firstrate slower than the second rate.
 36. A method as in claim 33, whereinthe processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias over a timeduration of more than about 50 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.37. A method as in claim 33, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions to adjust the bias over a time duration of more than about20 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.
 38. A method as in claim 32,wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the biased signalto more positive values in response to the negative signal below thethreshold amount and to increase the gain when the biased signal isadjusted to the more positive values.
 39. A method as in claim 32,wherein the negative signal corresponds to negative sound pressure andthe threshold amount comprises a lower end of the input range.
 40. Amethod as in claim 39, wherein the processor comprises instructions todecrease the gain faster than a change in bias and wherein the biasremains substantially fixed when the gain is decreased in response tothe signal below the threshold.
 41. A method as in claim 40, wherein theprocessor comprises instructions to decrease the gain over a duration nomore than a length of the look ahead delay and the bias remainssubstantially fixed to within about five percent (5%) over the length ofthe look ahead delay
 42. A method as in claim 32, wherein the circuitryto drive the electromagnetic energy source comprises delta sigmamodulation circuitry.
 43. A method as in claim 42, wherein the deltasigma modulation circuitry comprises one or more of pulse widthmodulation circuitry, pulse density modulation circuitry, or a digitalto analog converter of the processor comprising the pulse densitymodulation circuitry.
 44. A method as in claim 43, wherein the circuitryto drive the electromagnetic energy source comprises an analogamplifier.
 45. A method of transmitting an audio signal to an ear of auser, the method comprising: receiving the audio signal from an input;determining a bias of the audio signal and a biased audio signal with aprocessor in response to the audio signal; outputting the biased audiosignal to circuitry to drive an electromagnetic energy source with thebiased signal in order to generate an electromagnetic signal withdecreased electromagnetic energy transmitted from the light source; andreceiving the electromagnetic signal with an output transducer tovibrate the ear in response to the electromagnetic signal, wherein theaudio signal comprises a fixed bias and the processor comprisesinstructions to determine the biased audio signal in response to thefixed bias of the audio signal, and wherein the circuitry to drive theelectromagnetic energy source comprises delta sigma modulationcircuitry.
 46. A method as in claim 45, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions to adjust the bias to decrease the energy of theelectromagnetic signaling in response to decreased energy of the audiosignal and to adjust the bias to increase the energy of theelectromagnetic signal in response to increased energy of the audiosignal in order to inhibit distortion.
 47. A method as in claim 46,wherein the processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias in adirection corresponding to negative sound pressure in response todecreased amounts of negative sound pressure of the audio signal.
 48. Amethod as in claim 46, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the bias to decrease amounts of the energy of the electromagneticsignal at a first rate and to increase amounts of the energy of theelectromagnetic signal at a second rate to inhibit distortion, the firstrate slower than the second rate.
 49. A method as in claim 46, whereinthe processor comprises instructions to adjust the bias over a timeduration of more than about 50 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.50. A method as in claim 46, wherein the processor comprisesinstructions to adjust the bias over a time duration of more than about20 ms in order to inhibit an audible thump.
 51. A method as in claim 45,wherein the processor comprises instructions for a look ahead delay todecrease the gain to inhibit clipping in response to a negative signalbelow a threshold amount detected with the look ahead delay.
 52. Amethod as in claim 51, wherein the processor comprises instructions toadjust the biased signal to more positive values in response to thenegative signal below the threshold amount and to increase the gain whenthe biased signal is adjusted to the more positive values.
 53. A methodas in claim 51, wherein the negative signal corresponds to negativesound pressure and the threshold amount comprises a lower end of theinput range.
 54. A method as in claim 53, wherein the processorcomprises instructions to decrease the gain faster than a change in biasand wherein the bias remains substantially fixed when the gain isdecreased in response to the signal below the threshold.
 55. A method asin claim 54, wherein the processor comprises instructions to decreasethe gain over a duration no more than a length of the look ahead delayand the bias remains substantially fixed to within about five percent(5%) over the length of the look ahead delay.
 56. A method as in claim45, wherein the delta sigma modulation circuitry comprises one or moreof pulse width modulation circuitry, pulse density modulation circuitry,or a digital to analog converter of the processor comprising the pulsedensity modulation circuitry.
 57. A method as in claim 56, wherein thecircuitry to drive the electromagnetic energy source comprises an analogamplifier.